Safety warning equipment such as paddle signs bearing stop and slow designations have been developed using commonly available materials such as PVC water pipe and fittings therefor. Two messages are often incorporated on opposing sides of a rigid sign panel, referred to as a paddle. A safety officer, road worker or other operator need only rotate the sign mast to display the desired message to oncoming motorists. It is desirable to provide warning signs that are either hand held or rest on the ground so as to be ground-supported. In either application, an operator stands adjacent to a flow of traffic and at appropriate times rotates the sign to display one of the two messages to the motorists and others passing by.
The hand held signs have a short handle to reduce weight, while the ground-supported signs have a long mast, with one end supported by the ground and the other end supporting the paddle at approximately shoulder height. While the message panel can be the same for both types of signs, the remainder of the sign constructions is considerably different. The ground-supported signs may have a single relatively long pipe section. If the signs are to be shipped to a user, conventional coupling joints are provided to permanently secure sections of water pipe together, using adhesive bonding. Once erected, the resulting sign is rendered unsuitable for compact storage. If the couplers are left “dry,” that is, unsecured, the loosely assembled pipe sections are not rendered suitably rigid and stable. Accordingly, ground supporting masts are made of one continuous pipe, eliminating the need for a coupling joints.
While signaling operations can be readily accomplished during ideal weather conditions and relatively light, slow moving traffic conditions, inclement weather and/or fast moving traffic can burden the operator, sometimes to an undesirable point of distraction. Contributing to the problem is the critical need for the operator to send the correct message at a given time. For example, it may be necessary to stop traffic to allow a workman to temporarily access the road surface, and only a command to stop is appropriate. In order to ensure that the proper signal is given, the operator must look away from oncoming traffic to concentrate visual focus on the message being displayed